{"collection":"myth-cosmogony","full_text_available":true,"graph_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/api/page/gutenberg_55357/graph","html_url":"https://unchartedknowledge.5gfusion.net/v2/page/gutenberg_55357","id":"gutenberg_55357","license":"Public Domain (US)","rights_basis":"gutenberg_metadata_copyright_false","source":"gutenberg","source_url":"https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/55357","summary":null,"tags":["Category: History - Other","Category: Journals","Category: Mythology, Legends & Folklore","Ireland -- Periodicals"],"text":"THE IRISH PENNY JOURNAL.\n\n         NUMBER 46.      SATURDAY, MAY 15, 1841.      VOLUME I.\n\n[Illustration: DANGAN CASTLE, COUNTY OF MEATH.]\n\nThe ruins of Dangan Castle, situated about two miles of the village of\nSummerhill, in the county of Meath, stand in the centre of an extensive\ndemesne, once richly wooded, and within which, formerly spread the placid\nwaters of a small but handsome lake, since drained. The grounds have been\nalmost entirely deprived of their ancient timber, but still retain some\ntraces of their former beauty. The remains of this once noble mansion,\nof which our engraving represents the rere, consist of a massive keep,\nwhich, with outworks long since destroyed, formed the ancient fortress:\nattached to this is the mansion built in the Italian style, the front\nof which is surmounted by a heavy and richly-moulded cornice. Of this\npart of the building (apparently erected about the beginning of the last\ncentury) nothing but the outer walls remain, and the interior space, once\nformed into ample hulls and chambers, has been converted into a flower\ngarden.\n\nIt would perhaps be impossible now to determine with any degree of\ncertainty the age to which the original erection of this castle should be\nreferred, its ancient architectural peculiarities having been completely\ndestroyed in the endeavour to make it harmonize with the buildings of\nmore recent erection, which have been appended to it, and the property\nhaving changed masters so often; but it is doubtless of no small\nantiquity.\n\nDangan was anciently part of the possessions of the Fitz-Eustace family,\nwho were long distinguished for loyalty and valour, as a reward for which\nthe title of Baron of Portlester was bestowed upon Rowland Fitz-Eustace\nin the year 1462, by King Edward IV. In the fifteenth century it came\ninto the possession of the Earl of Kildare, by marriage with Anne, the\ndaughter and heiress of Sir Nicholas Fitz-Eustace of Castle-martin; but\nin the same century a daughter of this earl married Christopher Plunket,\nson of the Baron of Killeen, and in her right he succeeded to this and\nseveral other estates.[1]\n\nDangan afterwards (but at what time we are uncertain) became the property\nof the De Wellesleys or Westleys, alias Posleys, a family of the greatest\nantiquity and of Saxon origin, who had settled in the county of Sussex\nin England, one of whom was standard-bearer to King Henry II., in which\ncapacity he accompanied that monarch into Ireland, and was rewarded for\nhis services with large grants of lands in the counties of Meath and\nKildare. From this illustrious ancestor sprang a numerous and respectable\nfamily, who received several distinguished marks of royal favour: and\nwe find that in the year 1303 \u201cWulfrane de Wellesley and Sir Robert\nPercival were slain the second day before the calends of November\u201d\nfighting against the Irish; and that John de Wellesley, who received from\nKing Edward II. a grant of the custody of the Castle of Arden, was the\nfirst of the family created a Baron of Parliament, these honours being\nconferred on him as a reward for having in the year 1327 overthrown the\nIrish of Wicklow in a battle in which their leader David O\u2019Toole was\ntaken prisoner.\n\nBut it is the modern, not the ancient history of Dangan Castle, which\ngives to it a more than ordinary degree of interest. Within those now\nsilent chambers and tottering walls, on the 1st of May 1769, the great\nDuke of Wellington, the illustrious hero of Waterloo, commenced that\nauspicious life which was afterwards so replete with honour and renown.\nThe grandfather of this truly great man, Richard Colley, succeeded to\nthe possession of this castle and estate by bequest from his cousin\nGarrett Wesley or Wellesley, in the year 1728. He was descended from\nthe Colleys of the county of Rutland, of whom the first who came to\nIreland was Walter Colley, who migrated hither in the reign of King\nHenry VIII., and he settling at Kilkenny, was in the year 1537 appointed\nSolicitor-General, which office he resigned in 1546, but was soon after\ncreated Surveyor-General of Ireland. Richard Colley with the estate also\ntook the name of Wesley or Wellesley, and was created Baron of Mornington\nin the year 1746. His son and successor Garret Colley Wellesley was on\nthe 20th of October 1760 created Viscount Wellesley of Dangan, and Earl\nof Mornington. This nobleman died on the 22d of May 1781, leaving seven\nsons, the eldest of whom, Richard, second Earl of Mornington, was created\nMarquis Wellesley on the 2d day of December 1799; and the fifth was no\nless a person than the present Arthur Duke of Wellington, who was born\n(an extraordinary coincidence) in the same year which gave birth to\nNapoleon Bonaparte. In the year 1788 he received his first commission as\nensign in the 73d regiment, and after going through the regular gradation\nhe was presented with the lieutenant-colonelcy of the 33d regiment in\n1793. Step by step he advanced, till, raised to the high pinnacle of rank\non which he now stands, he commanded the British army in twenty-eight\nvictoriously fought fields, the final one of which was the glorious\nbattle of Waterloo, which victory added the last and most illustrious\nmilitary laurel to the wreath which crowns his noble brow. In the year\n1811 he was made Earl and Marquis of Wellington, and Duke of Ciudad\nRodrigo and Vittoria, and in 1814 he was created Duke of Wellington and\nMarquis of Douro, and received from Parliament a grant of \u00a3300,000.\nAll subjects bordering on religion or politics being forbidden in our\npublication, we must say nothing of the subsequent life of the Duke of\nWellington; and shall only add, that there exists not an unprejudiced man\nin Ireland of any sect or party who does not feel a pride in the honour\nof being a fellow-countryman of the hero of Waterloo.\n\nWhile the most eminent descendant of its ancient noble owners was\nthus progressing to distinction and renown, Dangan Castle was as fast\nhastening to decay and desolation; it was sold by the Marquis Wellesley\nto Colonel Burrows, by whom it was underlet to Mr Roger O\u2019Connor, during\nwhose tenancy it was completely destroyed by a conflagration, not\nsupposed to be accidental; and if report be true, it was converted (at no\ndistant period) into a place of concealment for plunder, and a resort of\nthieves.\n\n                                                              J. G. S. P.\n\n[1] The preceding statement of our correspondent appears to be somewhat\nerroneous; Dangan was the seat of the Wellesley family at an earlier\nperiod.--ED.\n\n\n\n\nA LEGEND OF CLARE;\n\nBY J. GERAGHTY M\u2019TEAGUE.\n\n\nThe author of a \u201cTour in Connaught\u201d has some curious and interesting\nremarks and notes concerning the almost universal belief of the\ninhabitants of the West, that not only in former ages was this our native\nisland much more extensive than at present, but that the land of ERIN\nitself is but a mere corner, a little _slice_ as it were of that which\nwas once an immense continent. He adduces in support of this, and gravely\nand seriously too, by the bye, many most ingenious proofs; nor does he\nat all discard or hesitate to bring forward the more \u201ccircumstantial\nevidence\u201d of tradition to his aid. He relates too the popular story about\nO\u2019Brassil, or the Enchanted Island, and another of the island of the\n\u201cBo-Fin,\u201d (or \u201cFiune,\u201d) _the fair cow_, which had lain beneath the waves\nspell-bound.\n\nThere are points in which all these traditions concerning the islands\nundoubtedly agree; but there is one among them remarkable on many\naccounts, which has excited my own curiosity more than once; and as it\ncertainly confirms rather than invalidates the opinions of \u201cC. O.\u201d on the\nsubject, I will relate it, perhaps with less hesitation.\n\nBut, oh ye geologists! who by a single word (if ye should so will it)\ncan overset all our theories--who have but to say \u201cit is impossible,\u201d\nwhen all our speculations, nay, even our firmly rooted belief, would be\nscattered, like the Atlantic wave, against the cliffs of Moher--oh, spare\nus! Let not the delicious, the hallowed lands of \u201clegendarie lore\u201d be\ninvaded by one of you heartless monsters! Let us but picture to ourselves\nthe sturdy figure of this investigator of pyrogeneous and heterogeneous\nstratifications, hammer in hand, attending to the account of some magic\nisland or delightful land which once stretched out far and wide before\nhim; he listens with apparent earnestness. But beware!--suddenly he is\nseen to stoop; he cracks off with his execrable instrument a little\n\u201cspecimen\u201d of some overhanging romantic-looking cliff; anon he shakes his\nhead portentously, and out comes an awful volley from his well-stored\nvocabulary of Greek derivatives, and Latin or German jaw-smashers. Out\nupon him, the horrid creature!\n\nOur tale, nevertheless, may be as _geologically_ true as the strictest of\nthe Bucklands or Sedgwicks could desire; we hope so too; but may he, if\none _should_ do us the honour to read our story, at least dissemble for\nthe nonce, and _pretend_ to be as ignorant and as happy as ourselves!\n\nThe land of Kylestafeen extended in former ages more than a hundred\nmiles to the westward of the present boundary of Ireland. There was also\ncontiguous to it, to the northward, the far-famed island of O\u2019Brassil,\nbesides others of inferior note. But Kylestafeen surpassed them all,\nnot only in superior extent, but in the fertility of its soil, and in\nthe number and capacity of its magnificent harbours; near which, under\nthe wise and gentle sway of its beneficent monarch, flourished splendid\ncities. Its lovely valleys were watered by the clearest rivers, and in\nthe grandeur of its mountains, and the beauty of its plains, by no other\ncountry under heaven could it be rivalled.\n\nWe have mentioned the character of that king who at the period of our\ntale ruled in Kylestafeen. At this time King Loydann was extremely old,\nand wished to relieve his mind, for the remainder of his life, from the\ncares of royalty. So, on a certain day, he made a formal abdication of\nhis throne and power to his two sons, pursuant to an old-established\nlaw in that country, which ordained, that in case the king should leave\nbehind but two sons, they were to reign conjointly.\n\nBut ere the king finally gave up the important charge to his sons, he\ncalled them to him, and bound them by the most solemn vows to conform to\nthe following promise:--That if at any moment one of them should by any\nact of his own incur the displeasure of his brother, he should at once be\nchained, and his sides pierced by two daggers. \u201cThis dreadful oath I now\nexact from you, my sons,\u201d said Loydann, \u201cin order that you never may be\nliable to the slightest disagreement, for the remembrance of it will for\never hold you both united; and if, in whatsoever you do, you consult each\nother, the most remote possibility of such a contingency will be avoided.\u201d\n\nThough the strict propriety of this act may be considered questionable,\nLoydann did it from the best motives; and this too will be apparent,\nif we consider the respective characters of the two brothers Fahune\nand Niall; the elder, Fahune, being of a remarkably fiery, and, as his\nfather feared, unforgiving disposition, whilst the younger was famed for\ngentleness; both were brave and impetuous, yet of dissimilar tempers and\nhabits.\n\nNow, at the time this act of abdication was performed, a series of\nrejoicings took place at the court of Kylestafeen, which were conducted\nwith great magnificence. The days were spent in the manly recreations\nof the chase, while the dance and the strains of music enlivened their\nevenings\u2019 entertainments.\n\nAmidst a number of lovely forms which graced the court of Kylestafeen,\nthe daughter of the Prince of O\u2019Brassil was peculiarly conspicuous. The\ninhabitants of both countries had ever been on the most amicable terms,\nand by the request of Teartha, the young and graceful sister of the\nprinces, Corgeana had been invited to pass the pleasant hours of summer\nat Kylestafeen, and to be present at the festivities.\n\nCorgeana was dangerously beautiful. Both brothers had frequent\nopportunities of converse with her; both admired her, struck with the\nelegance of her manners, and her many accomplishments; each, in short,\nwished her for his own! Yet it was only towards Niall, that, on her part,\na corresponding affection existed; the imperious spirit of Fahune was\nuncongenial to her. But unfortunately Fahune thought even now that she\nwas his, and that he had but to signify his intention, and her compliance\nwould succeed, while at the same time she had already listened to and\nfavourably received the solicitations of his brother!\n\nBut now the dreary winter approached, and the time came when Corgeana\nshould depart from the hospitable shores of Kylestafeen. Their galleys\nwere prepared, and all being ready, they took their farewell of her, and\nshe sailed for the island of O\u2019Brassil.\n\nNot many days elapsed, ere from the distant horizon a vessel was\nseen approaching the harbour. It anchored, and bore the distressing\nintelligence that a horde of Northern pirates were daily expected to land\nat the island of O\u2019Brassil, while the messenger delivered a most earnest\nrequest that both the brothers would immediately send assistance to his\nmaster, and help to drive away the treacherous Northmen from their coasts.\n\nBut this duty the brothers resolved to execute themselves. Accordingly,\nthe numerous galleys of war belonging to Kylestafeen were speedily\nequipped, and the full number of warriors allotted to each. The evening\nbefore the fleet set sail, a conference was held, and the plans of action\narranged, after which the brothers separated, each to his galley; for it\nhad been determined at the council that the larger number of the ships,\ncommanded by Fahune, should scour the seas in pursuit of the enemy, while\nthat portion headed by Niall should proceed at once to O\u2019Brassil, to\njoin forces with the king. This duty too did Niall undertake the more\nwillingly, as it gave him hope of a more speedy meeting with his beloved\nCorgeana.\n\nOn the third day after the last-mentioned division of the fleet had\nsailed from Kylestafeen, two strange sails were plainly observed from the\ndeck of Niall\u2019s galley, and it soon became too evident that the ship in\nwhich Corgeana had sailed had been taken by the Northmen, and that she\nwas even now in their power; for one of the vessels was hers, and the\nother was also well known, for it was the favourite galley of Froskos,\nthe most rapacious and cruel savage of them all!\n\nFearful was the suspense and the agony of mind which Niall endured, till\nhe had overtaken this hostile ship and its prize; for though sure of\nsuccess, and that the pirate would be captured, yet he knew not what the\ncrafty chief might have already perpetrated. However, having surrounded\nthem with his vessels, the pirates at once perceived the futility of\nresistance, and accordingly surrendered to Niall. And who can imagine\nthe mutual joy experienced by these lovers, when they saw that each was\nsafe! In triumph did Niall at once make sail for O\u2019Brassil, and land with\nhis precious freight, where he was received by the old king with every\ndemonstration of gratitude and joy.\n\n\u201cAnd why,\u201d said Niall to Corgeana, \u201cwhy now should we delay our nuptials?\nShall they not at once be celebrated? Oh, return with me as one of the\nQueens of Kylestafeen!\u201d\n\nBut the king her father would have overruled this, in his opinion, too\nprecipitate determination, and would at least have waited till the\narrival of Fahune and his squadron; but Niall would not listen, and it\nwas then determined that if Fahune made not his appearance for the space\nof seven days, the marriage should take place.\n\n\u201cAnd, surely,\u201d said Niall to himself, \u201cthe vow which I have made\ncan never interfere with this! How could my marriage, at which he\nwould rejoice, possibly be displeasing to him? When he considers the\ncircumstances of the case, he will, even though I do infringe the strict\nletter of the oath in not consulting him, cheerfully forgive me.\u201d\n\nSeven days had now passed, but Fahune was even then chasing and capturing\nnumerous fleets of pirates. At length the day arrived, and the ceremonies\nof marriage were performed amidst banquetings and joyful celebrations.\n\nAnd now it was judged prudent that they should set sail for Kylestafeen;\nand a great feast having been given to Niall and Corgeana, and to the\nwhole of the squadron, they took their departure and put to sea.\n\nO\u2019Brassil was but three short days\u2019 sail at farthest from Kylestafeen,\nand they hoped soon to reach their destination, when lo! a dreadful\ntempest suddenly sprang up, which dispersed the fleet in all directions.\nThe most expert seamen were completely foiled in all their efforts; the\nvessel laboured and creaked as if she would each moment fall to pieces,\nand was driven, being quite unmanageable, far away out to sea, and for\nmany days and nights were they drifted onwards with irresistible fury.\n\nBut at length the storm abated, the waves gradually subsided, and after\nanother day the wind was completely gone. The gallant vessel, which\nhad heretofore been impelled with terrific violence, now, with all her\nsails unfurled, hardly crept along; and the men, who had been almost all\nconstantly employed during the hurricane, had retired below.\n\nAnd now the grey dawn was just apparent in the east, when all on board\nwere suddenly aroused by the cries of the watchman, who proclaimed that\na vessel with the flag of Kylestafeen was rapidly approaching, and would\nalmost immediately be alongside. Niall arose, and looking forth, saw\nwith the rest that it was the galley of his brother, while he fondly\nanticipated a joyful reunion with Fahune, when they could relate their\nseveral exploits and dangers. But how were these hopes about to be\nrealised?\n\nThe vessels neared each other, and greetings were exchanged. A boat was\nnow lowered from the side of Niall\u2019s galley, and he went on board that\nof his brother. After some inquiries and salutations, Fahune questioned\nNiall concerning his voyages and adventures. This Niall commenced, and\nFahune seemed to rejoice, and a smile, as if of triumph, crossed his\nfeatures when he learnt that Corgeana was safe; but when Niall proceeded,\nand told of the nuptials, the countenance of Fahune became as pale as\ndeath.\n\n\u201cMiserable man,\u201d said he, \u201cprepare to die! You have broken through our\nsolemn vow; you have taken this step without having consulted me; this\nalone would have condemned you, but to this dreadful dereliction you have\nadded a still greater insult--you have supplanted me in the affections\nof one to whom I was engaged. But she\u201d----he could utter no more; he\nwas convulsed with passion. Niall was now about to reply, but Fahune\nshouted, \u201cLet him be gagged! Let me not hear a word from him whom once I\nloved; for the sound of his voice might tempt me to relent. Executioners,\nat once bind him to the mast.\u201d It was done; and in another moment, by\nFahune\u2019s directions, his sides were deeply pierced by the fatal daggers!\n\nWhen the dreadful tale was related to the bereaved Corgeana, she lay for\nsome hours insensible; but when at length she awoke, it was but to be\ncompelled to endure still greater miseries. The sentence of Fahune was at\nonce put in execution, namely, that Corgeana should be turned adrift in a\nsmall open boat, with a scanty supply of food, and left to perish, while\nthe body of her husband should also be cast along with her into the boat.\n\nBut whilst the implacable Fahune was sailing towards the shores of\nKylestafeen, and even now repented of his cruelty and rashness to those\nwho were once beloved by him, Corgeana was wafted over the trackless\nocean in her frail bark, alone, and wretched; yet still that bark was\nguided by myriads of fairy beings, who were even then conducting her to a\nhaven of safety.\n\nWhen the seventh weary night had passed, and daylight appeared, Corgeana\nfound herself quite close to shore, but in what part of the world she\nwas, she knew not. Her little boat was quietly drifted to the beach. She\nlanded, and walking forth, soon found herself in view of a palace of\nmagnificent appearance, to which she bent her steps.\n\nNow, on entering this beautiful structure, which appeared to be\nornamented with the utmost splendour, she was surprised exceedingly\nwhen she heard sounds of lamentation and loud wailing issuing from the\napartments and halls. Advancing, she discovered an immense multitude\nof chieftains of noble mien, together with a number of youths and\nattendants, who, wearied, exhausted, and covered with wounds, reclined on\ncouches; many, who seemed more severely hurt, uttering piercing shrieks,\nwhile others appeared binding up their wounds, and administering the\ncomforts of medicine.\n\nShe watched these proceedings, unnoticed, for some time, and her\nattention was more particularly attracted to one venerable personage,\nwho, going round to all, and bathing their wounds, at once relieved them\nfrom their agony; and, strange to say, she remarked many who appeared to\npossess but few signs even of existence, at once restored to the use of\ntheir faculties.\n\nAt length she was perceived by him who was apparently a king or chief,\nwho demanded her history, and an account of her adventures. This she\ncommenced. Her great beauty, the violence of her grief, as well as the\ninterest which the relation of her sufferings occasioned, caused the\nemperor (for so he was) to take compassion on her, and he listened\nintently to her narrative. But when Corgeana came to that part of\nher mournful tale in which she spoke of the cruelty of Fahune, and\nhow her husband had been, as she supposed, inhumanly murdered, the\nemperor manifested signs of extreme impatience, and summoning his\nattendants--\u201cHasten,\u201d said he, \u201cto the beach, and bring hither, without\ndelay, the body of the prince.\u201d This was at once done, and they returned,\nbearing Niall in their arms.\n\n\u201cAnd now,\u201d said the emperor, \u201cwe will leave him with our venerable\nphysician, whose skill was never known to fail, and whom we have\nremembered often to recall to existence many who have been considered for\never as lost to us.\u201d\n\nWhen the physician was taken to the apartment in which the body of Niall\nlay, a smile of hope might have been seen upon his countenance, and he\nproceeded to exert his utmost skill. After he had himself applied his\nfar-famed remedies, he left for a moment, to deliver his opinion to the\nemperor his master.\n\nBut in that moment had Niall recovered! Faintly and slowly his eyes\nopened, and he looked around. But what were then his thoughts?\nRemembering the dreadful scene in the galley of his brother, even _then_\nhe saw the executioners plunging the daggers into his side, and the words\nof Fahune still rang in his ears: again he looked, and thought he was in\nanother world--that region, where he had often heard the spirits of the\nbrave would congregate. And then of Corgeana!--but was this her voice he\nheard? Was she too murdered?\n\nThe physician now entered, and all was soon explained; his great skill\nhad indeed been successful. Who can picture the joy experienced by Niall\nand Corgeana when they found themselves so unexpectedly re-united!\n\nThe recovery of Niall was exceedingly rapid; he frequently expressed his\ngratitude to his benefactors, and on one particular day, being engaged\nin conversation with the emperor, he ventured to address him thus. \u201cHow\ncomes it, oh king, that you, the undisputed sovereign of this magnificent\nand powerful empire, are so frequently dejected, and that the nobles of\nyour court give way to melancholy in your presence? Your very musicians\nappear to have forgotten the strains of gladness, and the raven of\ndespondency seems to overshadow the royal court with its foreboding\nwings! Is it thus, oh king? No; it must be my own gloomy thoughts which\npossess me, and render me insensible to happiness!\u201d\n\n\u201cThat which you now remark is but too true,\u201d said the emperor; \u201chow can\nwe be otherwise, when our dominions though extensive, and our army though\npossessed of courage, are each moment assailed by a cruel and still more\npowerful enemy, who live in an adjoining island, and against whom we\nhave never been able to obtain any decided victory? If we attack them,\nwe are repulsed with disgrace and shame, while they are continually\nmaking inroads, and devastating our beautiful country. Even the day which\nbrought you in so extraordinary a manner to our shores, was the last of\nour encounters with them, and on which most of our bravest commanders\nwere dreadfully mangled by our cruel opponents, and I myself was wounded;\nto-morrow, however, we intend to renew our armaments against them; but,\nalas! all will be unavailing, for ever since I came to this throne, and\neven in the reign of my father, have we been thus oppressed. It is true,\nwe possess an elixir of inestimable value, the effect of which is almost\nimmediately to heal the most dreadful wound, and to which, applied by our\nchief physician, you doubtless owe the preservation of your life; but on\nthe other hand, our enemies have on their side auxiliaries still more\npowerful; so that, while we are all but invulnerable, they are completely\ninvincible; and though our commanders are preparing with all possible\nalacrity, and seem confident of success, I for one already too well know\nthe result!\u201d\n\n\u201cNay, speak not thus, oh king!\u201d said Niall; \u201cI myself, for I am now\nrecovered, will accompany you; I perhaps was accounted brave in my own\ncountry, and will not spare my blood, if occasion require, in your\nservice; allow me then a number of men under my command, and, with the\nhelp of the gods, we will certainly cause these formidable foes to yield\nto our superior prowess.\u201d\n\n\u201cNiall,\u201d answered the emperor, \u201cyour words are as those of the brave;\nbut did you know, or could you catch a single glance of our enemy,\nyour utterance would be frozen with dread; horror would be on your\ncountenance; and if you were not immediately overwhelmed, you would turn\nand fly as we do.\u201d\n\n\u201cAnd wherefore, oh king?\u201d said Niall.\n\n\u201cListen!\u201d said the emperor. \u201cThese giants, for they far exceed us in\nordinary stature, are commanded by one who excels them in even a greater\ndegree in height, in strength, and in the awfulness of his appearance:\nhe marches at the head of the army to the accompaniment of music--oh,\naccursed music!--the first sound of which, though at a distance, has\nthe dreadful effect of at once stupifying us, and causing an unnatural\ndrowsiness to come over us; we fall, and he, marching up with his men,\ncuts us to pieces like sheep. But, oh Niall! how can I describe or\ngive you the slightest idea of the horrid hag, this giant\u2019s wife? One\nsight of her is sufficient to unnerve the most courageous mortal; afar\noff she is seen; her eyes are as glowing coals; her feet like enormous\nplough-shares, tearing up the earth before her as she walks; whilst her\nhair, trailing far behind her, is like as many harrows following in her\ntrack; lurid flames issue from her nostrils! Frightful indeed is she to\nbehold; but should a glance of her accursed eye meet yours, no earthly\npower could for an instant save you from immediate death! She is followed\nby a horde of demons, who I hear are her children, imps that spare no\nlife, but revel in slaughter and mischief. Such are our enemies!\u201d\n\n\u201cYour description horrifies me,\u201d said Niall; \u201cnevertheless, let us summon\nall our energies to the encounter, and I trust I may bear my part in the\nstruggle with fortitude.\u201d\n\nAnd now the day arrived when this resolution was to be tested. The\nemperor himself took Niall into his armoury, and bade him choose any\nkind of weapon which that place could afford; but of all the implements\nof war collected there, none seemed to suit his purpose but one small\nsword with a sharp point, with which having equipped himself, he prepared\nfor the engagement. They embarked, and soon reached the hostile island,\nwhere immediately the giants collected, headed by the chief and his\nwife, who now seemed invested with double their usual horrors. As they\nadvanced, his friend the emperor frequently called on Niall to retrace\nhis steps, but this he firmly refused. The fatal languor was now fast\novercoming him, but, drawing his small sword, he continued pricking\nhimself in various places, which prevented his sinking altogether to\nsleep. Meantime the giant came on, trusting as usual for conquest to the\npower of the music; however, he was for once mistaken. Feigning sleep,\nNiall lay still, in the best position for his purpose; and when the\ngiant, confidently marching on, had come up, and stooped over to kill\nhim, he seized his opportunity, and at one blow severed his head from his\nshoulders.\n\nFortunately this brave act was not witnessed by the old hag his wife, who\nhad delayed by the way; it is enough for us to know that the same success\nhere also attended him, and she fell a sacrifice also to his valour. Nor\nwas this all: the emperor came up with his army, and an easy conquest\nsoon decided the long-continued hostilities. Niall was immediately given\nby the emperor the sovereignty of the island, and took possession of the\ngiant\u2019s palaces, where he and Corgeana long lived in mutual love, and,\ncrowned with the enjoyment of all happiness, dwelt in perfect amity with\nthe emperor their benefactor. He built an immense number of the most\nbeautiful galleys, and maintained an army disciplined and instructed\ncompletely in all the arts of war.\n\nBut we must now hasten to the conclusion of our legend, though volumes\nmight be filled by a recital of the well-remembered acts of Niall the\ngood, and Corgeana his queen.\n\nThey held, then, frequent conversations about Fahune, and were accustomed\nto recount the many dangers they had experienced, when on a certain day\nNiall appeared to be engaged in the deliberation of some affair of more\nthan ordinary importance. His brows were bent as in earnest thought, and\neven tears were observed on his cheek. This was remarked by Corgeana, who\ngently demanded what new design he was arranging.\n\nTo this Niall answered, \u201cOh, Corgeana, my awful parting from Fahune\nmy brother frequently recurs to me; I begin to fear his life is most\nunhappy; he thinks me dead, and the injustice of his mad decree must\ncertainly be fearfully apparent to him also; it is therefore my\nintention, shouldst thou approve of it, to prepare an expedition to\nrevisit the land of my birth, my beloved Kylestafeen; and wouldst thou\nnot also wish to see again the lovely O\u2019Brassil? I am now powerful, and\nwould go attended by a large fleet; so that if Fahune should still be\nvindictive, I might be supported; nor should I dread his power, or that\nof any other monarch.\u201d\n\nTo this Corgeana most willingly assented, and resolved herself\nto accompany the squadron, which having been made ready in an\nextraordinarily short space of time, put to sea.\n\nNiall well remembered the direction that dreadful tempest had taken which\nhad conveyed him to Fahune, and accordingly sailed onwards. Not many\ndays elapsed ere the men reported with joy that land was in sight. It\nwas true; and all assembled on the decks of their galleys, hailing with\nshouts their near approach.\n\nBut lo! what is that which now rivets their attention, and causes them to\nstand like men bereft of reason, gazing on the mountains of Kylestafeen?\nAnd nearer and nearer they approached, and fixed their eyes in silent\nwonder on the awful scene; those hills, the shapes of which were at\nonce recognized by Niall and Corgeana, were too apparently sinking into\nthe ocean! Still nearer they sailed, and the noble bay at the head of\nwhich was the city, lay before them. They came close to the shore, and\nnow was their astonishment intense. That beautiful valley through which\nthe gentle stream took its course was quickly enlarging its boundaries;\nand while it sank, the waters from the ocean were madly rushing in,\ncausing devastation to all. Hundreds of human forms were wildly rushing\nto and fro, and those who were able to reach the shore screamed loudly\nfor assistance, or for boats to carry them away; while all who could\nnot profit by this mode of escape climbed the summits of the highest\nmountains, and escaped immediate death, only to endure a protraction of\ntheir sufferings.\n\nIn the midst of this confusion and these dreadful scenes, many galleys,\ndensely crowded with beings, put off from shore. Niall anxiously looked\nfor his brother; nor was he destined to be disappointed, for Fahune,\nobserving the strange ships, immediately directed his course to the\ngalley of his brother, where a reconciliation having at once taken place,\nall re-assembled to witness the consummation of this most dreadful\ncatastrophe.\n\nGradually, yet continually, did the waves close round thousands of the\nhelpless inhabitants, and innumerable multitudes of animals were buried\nbeneath them, while all who could avail themselves of boats took to the\nsea, though these could hardly tell in what direction to proceed, and\nhundreds miserably perished.\n\nSoon did night veil the awful vision from the eyes of the fleet; and\nnext morning, a wild waste of turbulent waters was all that could be\nperceived where once was the glorious and happy land of Kylestafeen, and\na long dark line of frowning cliffs was the only boundary visible in the\ndirection of that lovely country.\n\nWe may add the general belief, that a remnant of those saved were cast on\nshore, and from their descendants we still can learn even the modes of\ngovernment once practised in Kylestafeen.\n\nBut where _now_ is Kylestafeen?\n\nIt remains under a spell--its inhabitants are still employed in\nconstructing fleets and armaments; even now,\n\n    \u201cIn the wave beneath you shining,\u201d\n\nthe \u201ctowers of other days\u201d may yet be seen. Every seven years, \u201cthis\ndelightful land\u201d may be seen in all its primeval beauty, as it appeared\nbefore it sank; and if, reader, at that critical moment when all smileth\nbefore thee, thou canst drop but one particle of earth on any portion of\nit, it will be for ever re-established.\n\nAnd this, reader, is the legend of Kylestafeen, from which thou canst\ndraw thine own moral.\n\n\n\n\nORIGIN AND MEANINGS OF IRISH FAMILY NAMES.\n\nBY JOHN O\u2019DONOVAN.\n\nThird Article.\n\n\nSURNAMES AND FAMILY NAMES.\n\nDr Keating and his cotemporary Gratianus Lucius have asserted, on the\nauthority of the ancient Irish MSS, that family names or surnames first\nbecame hereditary in Ireland in the reign of Brian Boru, in the beginning\nof the eleventh century. \u201cHe [King Brian] was the first who ordained that\na certain surname should be imposed on every tribe, in order that it\nmight be the more easily known from what stock each family was descended;\nfor previous to his time surnames were unfixed, and were discoverable\nonly by tracing a long line of ancestors.\u201d[2]\n\nThis assertion has been repeated by all the subsequent Irish writers, but\nnone of them have attempted either to question or prove it. It seems,\nhowever, generally true, and also that in the formation of surnames at\nthis period, the several families adopted the names of their fathers\nor grandfathers. It would appear, however, from some pedigrees of\nacknowledged authenticity, that in a few instances the surnames were\nassumed from remoter ancestors, as in the families of the O\u2019Dowds and\nO\u2019Kevans in Tireragh, in which the chiefs from whom the names were taken\nwere cotemporary with St Gerald of Mayo, who flourished in the seventh\ncentury, and in the family of O\u2019Neill, who took their surname from Niall\nGlunduv, monarch of Ireland, who was killed by the Danes in the year\n919. It is obvious also from the authentic Irish annals, that there\nare many Irish surnames now in use which were called after ancestors\nwho flourished long subsequent to the reign of Brian. But it is a fact\nthat the greater number of the more distinguished Irish family names\nwere assumed from ancestors who were cotemporary with this monarch; and\nthough we have as yet discovered no older authority than Dr Keating for\nshowing that surnames were first established in Ireland in his time,\nI am satisfied that authorities which would prove it, existed in the\ntime of Keating, for that writer, though a very injudicious critic, was\nnevertheless a faithful compiler. Until, however, we discover a genuine\ncopy of the edict published by the monarch Brian, commanding that the\nsurnames to be borne should be taken from the chieftains who flourished\nin his own time,--if such edict were ever promulgated, we must be content\nto relinquish the prospect of a final decision of this question. At\nthe same time it must be conceded that the evidences furnished by the\nauthentic annals and pedigrees in behalf of it are very strong, and may\nin themselves be regarded as almost sufficient to settle the question.\n\nIt appears, then, from the most authentic annals and pedigrees, that the\nO\u2019Briens of Thomond took their name from the monarch Brian Boru himself,\nwho was killed in the battle of Clontarf in the year 1014, and that\nfamily names were formed either from the names of the chieftains who\nfought in that battle, or from those of their sons or fathers:--thus,\nthe O\u2019Mahonys of Desmond are named from Mahon, the son of Kian, King of\nDesmond, who fought in this battle; the O\u2019Donohoes from Donogh, whose\nfather Donnell was the second in command over the Eugenian forces in the\nsame battle; the O\u2019Donovans from Donovan, whose son Cathal commanded\nthe Hy-Cairbre in the same battle; the O\u2019Dugans of Fermoy from Dugan,\nwhose son Gevenagh commanded the race of the Druid Mogh Roth in the same\nbattle; the O\u2019Faelans or Phelans of the Desies from Faolan, whose son\nMothla commanded the Desii of Munster in the same memorable battle, as\nwere the Mac Murroghs of Leinster from Murrogh, whose son Maelmordha,\nKing of Leinster, assisted the Danes against the Irish monarch.\n\nThe Mac Carthys of Desmond are named from Carrthach (the son of\nSaerbhreathach), who is mentioned in the Irish annals as having fought\nthe battle of Maelkenny, on the river Suir, in the year 1043; the\nO\u2019Conors of Connaught from Conor or Concovar, who died in the year 971;\nthe O\u2019Molaghlins of Meath, the chiefs of the southern Hy-Niall race, from\nMaelseachlainn or Malachy II, monarch of Ireland, who died in the year\n1022; the Magillapatricks or Fitzpatricks of Ossory from Gillapatrick,\nchief of Ossory, who was killed in the year 995, &c. &c.\n\nFrom these and other evidences furnished by the Irish annals, it appears\ncertain then that the most distinguished surnames in Ireland were taken\nfrom the names of progenitors who flourished in the tenth or beginning of\nthe eleventh century. But there are instances to be met with of surnames\nwhich had been established in the tenth century having been changed to\nothers which were called after progenitors who flourished at a later\nperiod, as O\u2019Malroni of Moylurg, to Mac Dermot, and O\u2019Laughlin, head\nof the northern Hy-Niall, to Mac Laughlin. There are also instances of\nminor branches of great families having changed the original prefix O\nto Mac and Mac O, or Mac I, when they had acquired new territories and\nbecome independent families, as O\u2019Brien to Mac I-Brien, and Mac Brien\nin the instances of Mac I-Brien Arra, Mac Brien Coonagh, and Mac Brien\nAharlagh, all off-shoots from the great family of Thomond; and O\u2019Neill to\nMac I-Neill Boy, in the instance of the branch of the great Tyrone family\nwho settled in the fourteenth century eastward of the river Bann, in the\ncounties of Down and Antrim.\n\nThis is all that we know of the origin of Irish surnames. Sir James Ware\nagrees with Keating and Gratianus Lucius that surnames became hereditary\nin Ireland in the tenth or beginning of the eleventh century; and adds,\nthat they became hereditary in England and France about the same period.\n\nIrish family names or surnames then are formed from the genitive case\nof names of ancestors who flourished in the tenth century, and at later\nperiods, by prefixing O, or Mac, as O\u2019Neill, Mac Carthy, &c. O literally\nsignifies grandson, in which sense it is still spoken in the province\nof Ulster; and in a more enlarged sense any male descendant, like the\nLatin _nepos_: and Mac literally signifies son, and in a more extended\nsense any male descendant. The former word is translated _nepos_ by all\nthe writers of Irish history in the Latin language, from Adamnan to Dr\nO\u2019Conor, and the latter, _filius_; from which it is clear that it is\nsynonymous with the Welsh prefix _Map_ (abbreviated to _Ap_), and with\nthe Anglo-Norman _Fitz_, which Horne Tooke has proved to be a corruption\nof the Latin _filius_. Giraldus Cambrensis latinizes the name of the King\nof Leinster, Dermot Mac Murchadh, _Dermitius Murchardides_, from which it\nmay be clearly perceived that he regarded the prefix Mac as equivalent to\nthe Greek patronymic termination _ides_. The only difference therefore\nto be observed between O and Mac in surnames is, that the family who\ntook the prefix of Mac called themselves after their father, and those\nwho took the prefix O formed their surname from the name of their\ngrandfather. Ni, meaning daughter, was always prefixed to names of women,\nas O and Mac meant male descendants; but this usage is now obsolete.\n\nIt is not perhaps an unlikely conjecture that at the period when surnames\nwere first ordered to be made hereditary, some families went back\nseveral generations to select an illustrious ancestor on whom to build\nthemselves a name. A most extraordinary instance of this mode of forming\nnames occurred in our own time in Connaught, where John Mageoghegan,\nEsq. of Bunowen Castle, in the west of the county of Galway, applied\nto his Majesty King George IV. for licence to reject the name which\nhis ancestors had borne for eight hundred years from their ancestor\nEochagan, chief of Kinel Fiacha, in the now county of Westmeath, in the\ntenth century, and to take a new name from his more ancient and more\nillustrious ancestor Niall of the Nine Hostages, monarch of Ireland\nin the fourth century. His majesty granted this licence, and the son\nof John Mageoghegan now called John Augustus O\u2019Neill, that is, John\nAugustus, DESCENDANT of Niall of the Nine Hostages. The other branches of\nthe family of Mageoghegan, however, still retain the surname which was\nestablished in the reign of Brian Boru as the distinguishing appellative\nof the race of Fiacha, the son of Niall of the Nine Hostages, and the\nancestor from whom the Mageoghegans had taken their _tribe_ name.\n\nFrom the similarity and almost complete identity of the meanings affixed\nto the words O and Mac in surnames, it might be expected that they should\nbe popularly considered as conferring each the same respectability on the\nbearer; yet this is far from being the case, for it is popularly believed\nin every part of Ireland that the prefix O was a kind of title among\nthe Irish, while Mac is a mark of no distinction whatever, and that any\ncommon Irishman may bear the prefix Mac, while he must have some claims\nto gentility of birth before he can presume to prefix O to his name. This\nis universally the feeling in the province of Connaught, where the gentry\nof Milesian descent are called O\u2019Conor, O\u2019Flahertie, O\u2019Malley, &c.; and\nthe peasantry, their collateral relatives, Connor, Flaherty, Malley.\nAll this, however, is a popular error, for the prefix O is in no wise\nwhatever more respectable than Mac, nor is either the one or the other\nan index to any respectability whatever, inasmuch as every single family\nof Firbolgic, Milesian, or Danish origin in Ireland, is entitled to bear\neither O or Mac as the first part of their surname. It is popularly known\nthat O\u2019Neill was King of Ulster, and O\u2019Conor King of Connaught, and hence\nit is assumed that the prefix O is a title of great distinction; but it\nis never taken into consideration that O\u2019Hallion was the name of the\nIrish Geocach or beggar who murdered O\u2019Mulloy of Feara-Keall in the year\n1110, or that _Mac_ Carthy was King of Desmond or Mac Murrough was King\nof Leinster! It is therefore a positive fact that the prefixes O and Mac\nare of equal import, both meaning male descendant, and that neither is\nan indication of any respectability whatever, except where the pedigree\nis proved and the history of the family known. To illustrate this by an\nexample: The O prefixed to my own name is an index of my descent from\nDonovan, the son of Cathal, Chief of the Hy-Figeinte, who was killed\nby Brian Boru in the year 977; but the Mac prefixed in the surname Mac\nCarthy is an indication of higher descent, namely, from Carrthach, the\ngreat-grandson of Callaghan Cashel, King of Munster, whose descendants\nheld the highest rank in Desmond till the civil wars of 1641.\n\nIt would be now difficult to show how this popular error originated, as\nthe meanings of the two prefixes O and Mac are so nearly alike. It may,\nhowever, have originated in a custom which prevailed among the _ancient_\nIrish, namely, that, for some reason which we cannot now discover, the O\nwas never prefixed in any surname derived from art, trade, or science,\nO\u2019Gowan only excepted, the prefix Mac having been always used in such\ninstances, for we never meet O\u2019Saoir, O\u2019Baird; and surnames thus formed,\nof course never ranked as high among the Irish as those which were formed\nfrom the names of chieftains.\n\nIt may be here also remarked, that the O was never prefixed to names\nbeginning with the word _Giolla_. I see no reason for this either, but\nI am positive that it is a fact, for throughout the Annals of the Four\nMasters only one O\u2019Giolla, namely, O\u2019Giolla Phadruig, occurs, and that\nonly in one instance, and I have no doubt that this is a mere error of\ntranscription.\n\nAnother strange error prevails in the north of Ireland respecting O and\nMac, viz. that every name in the north of Ireland of which Mac forms the\nfirst part, is of Scotch origin, while those to which the O is prefixed\nis of Irish origin; for example, that O\u2019Neill and O\u2019Kane are of Irish\norigin, but Mac Loughlin and Mac Closkey of Scotch origin. But it happens\nin these instances that Mac Loughlin is the senior branch of the family\nof O\u2019Neill, and Mac Closkey a most distinguished offshoot from that of\nO\u2019Kane. This error had its origin in the fact that the Scotch families\nvery rarely prefixed the O (there being only three instances of their\nhaving used it at all on record), while the Irish used O tenfold more\nthan the Mac. This appears from an index to the genealogical books of\nLecan, and of Duald Mac Firbis, in the MS. library of the Royal Irish\nAcademy, in which mention is made of only three Scotch surnames beginning\nwith O, while there are upwards of two thousand distinct Irish surnames\nbeginning with O, and only two hundred beginning with Mac.\n\nAnother strange error is popular among the Irish, and those not of the\nlowest class, namely, that only five Irish families are entitled to have\nthe O prefixed; but what names these five are is by no means agreed upon,\nsome asserting that they are O\u2019Neill, O\u2019Donnell, O\u2019Conor, O\u2019Brien, and\nO\u2019Flaherty; others that they are O\u2019Neill, O\u2019Donnell, O\u2019Kane, O\u2019Dowd,\nand O\u2019Kelly; a third party insisting that they are O\u2019Brien, O\u2019Sullivan,\nO\u2019Connell, O\u2019Mahony, and O\u2019Driscoll; while others make up the list in\nquite a different manner from all these, and this according to the part\nof Ireland in which they are located; and each party is positive that\nno family but the five of their own list has any title to the O. None\nof them would acknowledge that even the O\u2019Melaghlins, the heads of the\nsouthern Hy Niall race, have any claims to this prefix, nor other very\ndistinguished families, who invariably bore it down to a comparatively\nlate period. On the other hand, it is universally admitted that any Irish\nfamily from Mac Carthy and Mac Murrough, down to Mac Gucken and Mac\nPhaudeen, has full title to the prefix Mac; and for no other reason than\nbecause it is believed to have been a mark of no distinction whatever\namong the ancient Irish. This error originated in the fact that five\nfamilies of Irish blood were excepted by the English laws from being held\nas mere Irishmen. But of this hereafter.\n\nThere is another error prevalent among the Irish gentry of Milesian\nblood in Ireland (which is the less to be excused, as they have ample\nopportunities of correcting it), namely, that the chief or head of the\nfamily only was entitled to have the O prefixed to his name. This is the\ngrossest error of all, for there is not a single passage in the authentic\nannals or genealogical books which even suggests that such a custom\never existed amongst the ancient Irish chieftain families, for it is\nan indubitable fact that every member of the family had the O prefixed\nto his surname, as well as the chief himself. But a distinction was\nmade between the chief and the members of his family, in the following\nmanner:--In all official documents the chief used the surname only, as\nO\u2019Neill, O\u2019Donnell, &c. In conversation also the surname only was used,\nbut the definite article was frequently prefixed, as _the_ O\u2019Neill, _the_\nO\u2019Brien, &c., while in annals and other historical documents in which\nit was found necessary to distinguish a chief from his predecessors or\nsuccessors, the chief of a family was designated by giving him the family\nname first, and the christian or baptism name after it in parenthesis.\nBut the different members of the chief\u2019s family had their christian names\nalways prefixed as at the present day.\n\nI have thus dwelt upon the errors respecting surnames in Ireland, from\nan anxious wish that they should be removed, and I trust that it will\nbe believed henceforward that the Mac in Irish surnames is fully as\nrespectable as the O, and that, instead of five, there are at least two\nthousand Irish families who have _full title_ to have the O prefixed to\ntheir surnames.\n\n[2] Translation from original Latin MS.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nMany men would have more wisdom if they had less wit.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nWomen are like gold, which is tender in proportion to its purity.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nExcessive sensibility is the foppery of modern refinement.\n\n\n\n\nIRELAND\u2019S WEALTH.\n\n\n    Oh do not call our country poor,\n      Though Commerce shuns her coast;\n    For still the isle hath treasures more\n      Than other lands can boast.\n\n    She hath glorious hills and mighty streams,\n      With wealth of wave and mine,\n    And fields that pour their riches forth\n      Like Plenty\u2019s chosen shrine.\n\n    She hath hands that never shrink from toil,\n      And hearts that never yield,\n    Who reap the harvests of the world\n      In corn or battle field.\n\n    She hath blessings from her far dispersed\n      O\u2019er all the earth and seas,\n    Whose love can never leave her--yet\n      Our land hath more than these.\n\n    Her\u2019s is the light of genius bright,\n      Among her children still;\n    It shines on all her darkest homes,\n      Or wildest heath and hill.\n\n    For there the Isle\u2019s immortal lyre\n      Sent forth its mightiest tone;\n    And starry names arose that far\n      On distant ages shone.\n\n    And want among her huts hath been;\n      But never from them past\n    The stranger\u2019s welcome, or the hearts\n      That freely gave their last.\n\n    She hath mountains of eternal green,\n      And vales for love and health,\n    And the beautiful and true of heart--\n      Oh these are Ireland\u2019s wealth!\n\n    And she is rich in hope, which blest\n      Her gifted ones and brave,\n    Who loved her well, for she had nought\n      To give them but a grave.\n\n    Through all her clouds and blasted years,\n      That star hath never set;\n    Will not our land arise and shine\n      Among the nations yet?\n\n                                         F. B.\n\n\n\n\nEXTRAORDINARY DETECTION OF MURDER.\n\nNO. II.\n\n\nScarcely the most youthful reader needs now to be informed that for an\nindefinite period our country has unfortunately seldom been without bands\nof misguided men, more or less numerous, combined for illegal purposes,\nand who have from time to time wrought much ruin and misery to themselves\nand others, whether they went under the denomination of rapparees,\ndefenders, peep-o\u2019-day-boys, steelboys, whiteboys, united Irishmen,\ncarders, houghers, thrashers or ribbonmen, the last of the species--may\nthey prove the _last_ indeed! The manifold causes that produced those\nlawless and destructive combinations the nature of this Journal wisely\nprecludes us from meddling with; their objects were perfectly apparent.\nWe therefore pass both by with a single remark, namely, that since the\ndisastrous and desolating insurrection and invasion of \u201998, there has\nbeen no person of weight or property connected with any of the numerous\nconfederacies that have continued unceasingly to distract the country,\nwith the exception of that which involved the fate of the wild but\namiable visionary Robert Emmett--certainly not in Connaught; nor would\nit appear that in any one of them since was any serious opposition to\n_government_ contemplated. In fact, the conspirators being, with but\nfew exceptions, invariably of the very lowest class, their object,\nhowever guilty, was limited to the obtainment of personal advantage, the\ngratification of private revenge, or petty opposition to tithes and the\nlocal authorities.\n\nIn 1806, the combinators were designated in Connaught, _thrashers_. Their\nvengeance seemed to be chiefly wreaked on the haggards of such gentlemen\nor middlemen as excited the wrath or suspicions of the brotherhood;\nand frequently, where at evening had been seen a large and well-filled\nhaggard, nought was visible in the morning but empty space, the wasted\ngrain and the _then_ valuable hay being scattered over the adjacent\nfields and roads, often to a considerable distance.\n\nTirawley, the northern barony of Mayo, was at this period infested with a\ngang of thrashers of peculiar daring and activity, the most prominent of\nwhom was Murtagh Lavan, usually termed \u201cMurty the Shaker,\u201d a _soubriquet_\nwhich he derived from his remarkable dexterity in scattering the contents\nof the various haggards; and for a considerable period this reckless gang\nwas a terror to the entire barony. But there is, fortunately, neither\nunion nor faith among the wicked. After having been the principal in\nnumberless acts of destruction and lawlessness, Murty became a private\ninformer against guilty and innocent, in consequence of the large rewards\noffered by government for the detection of the offenders, and had given\nin the names of a large number of accomplices, as well as of those who\nhe knew were likely to be suspected, when his career was cut short by a\nviolent death.\n\nSecretly as his informations were given, it appears it was discovered\nthat he had become an informer; and in consequence, a band of the most\ndesperate of his former accomplices planned and accomplished his murder\nin a singularly daring manner. His wife and himself were guests at a\nchristening when he was called out: she followed him, and in her presence\nhe was assailed by a number of blackened and partly armed men, one of\nwhom felled him with a hatchet like an ox in the slaughter-house. He was\nnever allowed to rise, for the others trampled on him when down, and\nstruck him with various weapons. The wretched woman fled into a corner,\nand remained there an unharmed spectatress of the whole murderous scene,\nand, what has rarely occurred in similar circumstances, without making\nany attempt to fling herself between her husband and the murderers.\n\nImmediately on information being forwarded to the government of the\naudacious murder of the informer, proclamations offering large rewards\nfor the discovery and conviction of the perpetrators were issued;\ngreat activity was exhibited by the magistrates and the yeomanry, put\nunder permanent pay, as is well remembered in the localities where\nthey were stationed, the inhabitants of which were soon left minus\ntheir geese and hens with miraculous rapidity, after the arrival of\ntheir _defenders_. The yeomen! God forgive us: dark as is our theme,\nso strangely does levity mingle with gloom and even with sorrow in our\nnational temperament, that a host of humorous recollections come rushing\non us, called up by the name, as we recall our boyish enjoyment in\nwitnessing some of their inspections. Their motley dress--their arms--the\nsuggaun often binding a dislocated gun--and their discipline--oh, their\ndiscipline! Why, reader, believe us or not as you please, we knew of a\ncaptain of yeomanry standing in front of his corps, during an inspection\nof all the yeomen in the district by a distinguished general officer,\nwith his drawn sword held with great gallantry in his _left_ hand, till\nhis serjeant-major besought him in a whisper to change it to the other\nhand, until the general should have passed him. But we say avaunt to the\nevil temptation that has beset us at so awkward a time, to descant on\nyeomanry frolics, though we promise the readers of the Journal a laugh at\nthem on some more fitting occasion.\n\nFive of the murderers were apprehended and executed together in 1806;\nand, some years afterwards, one of them, named M\u2019Ginty, whose troubled\nconscience would not permit him to remain in England, whither he had fled\nafter the commission of the crime, and who was apprehended the very night\nafter his return to this country, died a fearful death. Indeed, in our\nexperience of public executions we never witnessed a more terrible one.\nHe was a man of a large, athletic frame, and when on the lapboard ramped\nabout with frightful violence, got his fingers several times between\nthe rope and his neck, and attempted to pull down the temporary beam,\nand drag out the executioner with him, the latter of which objects he\nnearly effected. He spurned at all exertions to induce him to forgive\nhis prosecutors and captors, and was in the act of denouncing vengeance\nagainst them, dead or alive, when he was flung off.\n\nWe remember a curious point was saved in this man\u2019s favour after\nconviction, when an arrest of judgment was moved on the ground that the\nprincipal evidence against him (an accomplice) was himself, after having\nbeen tried, and sentenced to capital punishment, and, therefore, being\ndead in law, could not be received as a competent witness. The objection\nwas, however, overruled by the judges in Dublin, on the ground that the\nman had received a pardon, and could be, therefore, considered a living\nwitness again.\n\nIt was twenty-four years after the murder of Murty, namely, in the spring\nof 1830, that a woman was making her way across a stream running through\na gentleman\u2019s grounds in the county of Sligo, when she was prevented by a\ncaretaker, who obliged her to turn back.\n\n\u201c_Skirria snivurth_,\u201d exclaimed the woman with bitter earnestness, \u201cbut\ndon\u2019t think, _durneen sollagh_ (dirty Cuffe) but I know you well; an,\nthank God, any way ye can\u2019t murther _us_, as ye did Murty Lavan long ago.\u201d\n\nHer words were heard by a policeman who chanced to be angling along the\nstream, and who promptly brought her into the presence of a magistrate,\nwhere, after the policeman had stated what he heard, she attempted at\nfirst to draw in her horns and retract her words.\n\n\u201cWell, my good woman,\u201d said the magistrate, \u201cwhat expressions were those\nyou used just now?\u201d\n\n\u201cOu, only some _ramask_ (nonsense), yer honour.\u201d\n\n\u201cDid you not accuse a man of murder?\u201d\n\n\u201cIn onough, I dunno what I sed when the spalpeen gev us the round, and\nthe vexation was upon us.\u201d\n\n\u201cYou must speak to the point, woman.\u201d\n\n\u201cWethen sure yer honour wouldn\u2019t be after mindin\u2019 what an oul\u2019 hag sed\nwhen she was in the passion.\u201d\n\n\u201cPoliceman, repeat the expressions exactly.\u201d\n\nThe policeman repeated his former statement.\n\n\u201cNow swear the hag, and I warn her if she doesn\u2019t tell the whole truth, I\nwill myself see her transported.\u201d\n\nThe woman, now thoroughly frightened, admitted that she knew the person\nwho prevented her from crossing the stream to be Cuffe or Durneen,\nwho was charged with having been the principal in the murder of Murty\nthe Shaker. Cuffe was accordingly apprehended, and having been fully\nidentified by Murty\u2019s wife, who was still in existence, having continued\na pensioner of the Mayo grand jury since her husband\u2019s murder, was\ncommitted to the Mayo jail, to the astonishment and regret of his\nemployer.\n\nThe extraordinary part of Cuffe\u2019s case seems to us not by any means that\nhe should have been detected after the lapse of twenty-four years, but\nit does seem a singular fact indeed, that, notwithstanding a description\nof him in the Hue and Cry as the person who had struck the mortal blow\nwith the hatchet, and the large rewards offered for his apprehension,\nhe should have remained undiscovered for such a protracted period, so\nimmediately adjacent to the scene of his crime. Most of our readers are\naware that Sligo adjoins Mayo--nay, the barony of Tirawley, in which\nthe murder was perpetrated, is only separated by the river Moy from the\ncounty of Sligo, so that one portion of the town of Ballina is in Mayo,\nand the other in Sligo; and yet, in all probability, were it not that\nProvidence directed the steps of the woman to that stream for the first\nand last time in her life, he might have remained there undiscovered to\nthe end of his natural life, which could not then be far distant, his\nhead being completely silvered at the time of his apprehension.\n\nWhile in prison, both before and after conviction, Cuffe\u2019s conduct, as it\nhad been all along prior to his detection, was peaceful, obliging, and\namenable, comporting much better with a pleasant and rather benevolent\ncountenance, in which there did not seem to be a single line indicative\nof an evil disposition, than with the terrible crime he had been the\nprincipal in committing.\n\nOn the morning after M\u2019Gennis had committed the extraordinary suicide\ndetailed in a former number, in the same cell with him, Cuffe\u2019s gaze\ncontinued to be fastened, as if by fascination, on the body while it\nremained in the cell, and his countenance wore an expression resembling a\nsmile of gratified wonder, as he frequently exclaimed in an under tone,\n\u201cdidn\u2019t he do it clever?\u201d He strongly denied, however, as was before\nstated, having witnessed the suicide, or known anything of its being\nintended.\n\nHis own death was calm and easy: in fact he seemed to have died without\na struggle; and so little did his punishment after such a lapse of years\nseem to be considered as a necessary atonement to justice, that we heard,\nduring his execution, Murty\u2019s own brother, who was among the spectators,\nuse the expression, that it was a pity so many lives should be lost for\n_such a rascal_.\n\nWe should have remarked that on the morning of his execution he requested\nof the benevolent and intelligent inspector to allow him a tea breakfast.\nIndeed, it is a curious consideration that animal gratification seems\nto be the predominant object with a large proportion of persons on the\neve of execution, when hope becomes as nearly extinct as it _can_ become\nwhile life remains. In general, in such cases among the lower class,\nthere is a petition for a meat dinner, or a tea breakfast, or both--a\npetition which, we need scarcely say, is in Ireland generally granted.\n\nWe recollect an instance where two persons under sentence were\nbreakfasting together, just previous to their execution, having, among\nother materials, three eggs between them, when one of them, having\nswallowed his first egg rapidly, seized upon the other with the utmost\ngreediness, while his companion eyed him with a sickly smile that seemed\nto say \u201cyou have outdone me to the last.\u201d\n\nOn another occasion we remember to have seen two convicts on a cart with\nthe ropes about their necks, who were to be executed about fourteen miles\nfrom the prison, one of them bearing with him in his fettered hands the\nremains of a loaf he had been unable to finish at his breakfast, but\nstill begged permission to take with him, as he purposed to eat it, and\ndid so, on his way to the gallows.\n\n                                                                       A.\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nEVIL INFLUENCE OF FASHION.--Never yet was a woman _really_ improved\nin attraction by mingling with the motley throng of the fashionable\nworld. She may learn to dress better, to step more gracefully; her head\nmay assume a more elegant turn, her conversation become more polished,\nher air more distinguished; but in point of _attraction_ she acquires\nnothing. Her simplicity of mind departs; her generous confiding impulses\nof character are lost; she is no longer inclined to interpret favourably\nof men and things; she listens, without believing, sees without\nadmiring; has suffered persecution without learning mercy; and been\ntaught to mistrust the candour of others by the forfeiture of her own.\nThe freshness of her disposition has vanished with the freshness of her\ncomplexion; hard lines are perceptible in her very soul, and crows-feet\ncontract her very fancy. No longer pure and fair as the statue of\nalabaster, her beauty, like that of some painted waxen effigy, is tawdry\nand meretricious. It is not alone the rouge upon the cheek and the false\ntresses adorning the forehead which repel the ardour of admiration; it\nis the artificiality of mind with which such efforts are connected that\nbreaks the spell of beauty.--_Mrs Gore._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nIMPOSSIBILITY OF FORGETTING.--In these opium ecstacies, the minutest\nincidents of childhood, or forgotten scenes of later years, were often\nrevived. I could not be said to _recollect_ them; for if I had been told\nof them when waking, I should not have been able to acknowledge them\nas parts of my past experience. But, placed as they were before me, in\ndreamlike intuitions, and clothed in all their evanescent circumstances\nand accompanying feelings, I _recognised_ them instantaneously. I was\nonce told by a near relative of mine, that having in her childhood fallen\ninto a river, and being on the very verge of death but for the critical\nassistance which reached her, she saw in a moment her whole life, in its\nminutest incidents, arrayed before her simultaneously, as in a mirror,\nand she had a faculty developed as suddenly, for comprehending the whole\nand every part. This, from some opium experiences of mine, I can believe.\nI have indeed seen the same thing asserted twice in modern books, and\naccompanied by a remark which I am convinced is true, viz, that the dread\nbook of account which the Scriptures speak of, is in fact _the mind of\neach individual_. Of this at least I feel assured, that there is no such\nthing as _forgetting_ possible to the mind; a thousand accidents may and\nwill interpose a veil between our present consciousness and the secret\ninscriptions on the mind; accidents of the same sort will also rend away\nthis veil; but alike, whether veiled or unveiled, the inscription remains\nfor ever; just as the stars seem to withdraw before the common light of\nday, whereas, in fact, we all know that it is the light which is drawn\nover them as a veil, and that they are waiting to be revealed when the\nobscuring daylight shall have withdrawn.--_Confessions of an Opium Eater._\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\nThere are few roses without thorns, and where is the heart that hides not\nsome sorrow in its secret depths?\n\n       *       *       *       *       *\n\n    Printed and published every Saturday by GUNN and CAMERON, at\n    the Office of the General Advertiser, No. 6, Church Lane,\n    College Green, Dublin.--Agents:--R. GROOMBRIDGE, Panyer Alley,\n    Paternoster Row, London; SIMMS and DINHAM, Exchange Street,\n    Manchester; C. DAVIES, North John Street, Liverpool; JOHN\n    MENZIES, Prince\u2019s Street, Edinburgh; and DAVID ROBERTSON,\n    Trongate, Glasgow.","title":"The Irish Penny Journal, Vol. 1 No. 46, May 15, 1841","tradition":"myth-cosmogony","translated_text":null,"word_count":11507}